Our Johns could be candidates for England's saint

Tomorrow is St George's Day. But why is St George England's saint? And could not the North East supply two better candidates? MAUREEN TAYLOR-GOOBY takes a closer look

- 

St David's Day was celebrated on March 1. Pious St David, who founded monasteries and churches and allegedly performed miracles, was born in Wales. Feasts, parades, singing, traditional costume wearing and daffodils all celebrate Welsh culture.

St Patrick, real name Maewyn Succat, was kidnapped from Wales and taken across to Ireland. He escaped but returned to Ireland to spread Christianity across the country. He too is celebrated with the wearing of green (to hide from the leprechauns), shamrock to represent the Holy Trinity, music, dancing and feasting, and he even has a parade in New York.

St Andrew’s day is to celebrate St Andrew, an apostle of Jesus, hence the official Saltaire flag as he was supposedly crucified in that position. The Scots really know how to celebrate the day, November 30, the day before the beginning of Advent.

All I know about St George is a rousing speech from Shakespeare's Henry V delivered by Prince Hal prior to the Battle of Agincourt; an amusing episode of Dad’s Army to represent the killing of the dragon; my husband David's reminiscences of marching with the Boy Scouts on St George’s Day; and Boris Johnson, as Mayor of London, trying to encourage celebrations.

We should celebrate. St George killed a dragon and saved a beautiful princess from being gobbled up. St George was a high-ranking officer in the Roman Army but he was a devout Christian and refused to deny his faith so, after being tortured, he was decapitated in AD303 on the orders of the Emperor Diocletian.